Nitrogen runoFertiliser and pesticides used to cultivate feedstocks, as well as contaminated effuents discharged from conversion
plants, can cause increasing levels of pollution to
waterways. This may constrain the growth of biofue...

By Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Global production of biofuelsGlobal production of biofuels.
In 2009, liquid biofuels provided 2.7 percent of all global
road transport fuels.

By Nieves Lopez Izquierdo

Biofuels in China: crop production and water scarcityIn 2009 China produced 2 billion litres of biofuels,
ranking the country third behind Brazil and the USA.
The Chinese government has set ambitious targets
seeing biofuels as not only contributing to the
country’s rap...

By Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Potential biofuels production on abandoned agricultural landLand-use planning is one strategy to manage
competition for land and, at the same time, reduce
environmental and social impacts. Assessment of
land suitability and availability can identify both
high-risk areas where...

By Nieves Lopez Izquierdo

Energy costs in Bot Trang village, CambodiaOver the past few years a small energy revolution has taken place in the village of Bot Trang in northwest Cambodia. Bot Trang is not on Cambodia’s national grid: in the old days Mr. Tham Bun Hak, a local farmer, would s...

By Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

World biofuels production trendsProduction trends indicate that the supply of both
ethanol and biodiesel is steadily increasing, although
the global ethanol market is more than four times
larger than the global biodiesel market. Markets
for both ar...

By Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Suitability by crop type in UgandaRecently Uganda has outlined its national strategy for
bioenergy to contribute to increasing the renewable energy
mix from 4 to 16 percent by 2017.
Several biofuel crops have been identified, including
sugarcane, m...

By Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Average water requirement for biofuelsThe figure shows average water requirement for biofuels. Underlying data need to be interpreted in context. For example, rainfed jatropha is produced in Mali as a biofuel, which means that it receives less water than in ...